He raised a challenging brow. “Admit it, then, Little Conduit,” he purred. “Tell me how bad you want it.”
Twirling the dagger between deft fingers, Kieran tucked it into a reverse position, leaning forward to brush the ghost of a kiss against my lips. Though he had released his hold on my wrists, they remained bound in place by ropes of silken Shadow.
I said nothing.
“Come on now,” he whispered, flicking his tongue against my lower lip, teasing the blade against the side of my thigh without even needing to watch where he was wielding it. “Confess yoursins, and perhaps I’ll be gentle. But my mercy is earned, not freely given.”
I was losing my fucking mind, but I was also too damned stubborn for my own good. “You are so full of shit,” I hissed. “Let mego.You’ve proven your point. You’re the only one getting off on this.”
“Tsk,tsk,” Kieran clicked his tongue in admonishment. “Such a pretty little liar. But we’ve been over this, Asher…”
He didn’t even need to say the words; I already heard his devious croon echoing in my head.
I am very observant.
Yes. Yes, he was. Kieran Vistarii was far too observant for my own good—or rather, for the maintenance of my sanity. A shiver escaped me yet again as he leaned back, trailing the blade softly over the thin cotton barrier between his arcana and my clit.
“Confess,” he whispered, giving me one more chance.
“Bite me,” I mumbled.
“Later,” he said again. “And…apologies in advance, Little Conduit. I promise I’ll get you new ones.”
With that, Kieran slipped his dark aetherblade in the impossibly thin line between my panties and my flesh. I was panting now, with only Shadows keeping me from writhing around, the weight of his umbral power keeping me pinned to the floor. Though he took his time with it, all it required was two tiny flicks of his wrist to leave the fabric in tatters, falling away to expose my dripping, needy cunt.
“Yeah,” Kieran snarled at the sight, tossing his aetherblade aside. “That’s what I fucking thought.”
Once again faster than I could parse, I found myself thrown over his shoulder as if I were a sack of flour.
Holy. Fucking. Hel.
DAY FOUR
WHISPERS & WATERFALLS
CHAPTER TEN
ARKEN
Islowly woke to the warmth of late-morning sun, a delicious ache beneath my skin, and a shadow darkening the doorway—Kieran’s shirtless, toned frame, leaning casually, a cup of tea in hand.
His pants hung dangerously low on his hips, still unbuttoned, as if he’d paused abruptly in the middle of getting dressed. He must’ve, because the man wasmost assuredlynaked the last time I’d seen him. Gloriously so.
“Gods,” I groaned, the intended dramatic effect lessened by my yawning not even halfway through the thought. “How long have you been standing there, you wraith?”
A sly smirk crept up one side of Kieran’s face. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
I glared at him from across the room, resisting the urge to chuck one of his own pillows at his stupidly smug face.
“How.Long?” I demanded, my sleep-addled eyes narrowing.
His expression softened, just a touch. “Long enough to know you were smiling in your sleep.”
I flushed.
“Did you have sweet dreams, then, gorgeous?” Kieran crooned over a sip of his tea, still steaming hot.
I bit my lip, glancing away. “Maybe.”